And I thought Alexander Arms was a bunch of braggarts. At least they didn't claim copyrighted computer algorithm design... looks like the Wikipedia page was done by the same guy who did Jonson's web site.

Google returned bupkis on "jonson cartridge computer algorithm." Looks like they don't include Google Groups in the search results any more, (praise Baud) so I went to the Groups page, found rec.guns, searched for "jonson algorithm" and found nothing there, either.

Went to the US Copyright office, set the search parameters to "1990-2000" and "computer files" and found no results. Set it for any registrations from 1990 to 2000, found 9 results, none of them likely, unless it was buried in a screenplay called "Night of the Slimeoids."

Hmm.

"Show me your code."

I keep wondering what the gazintas of the program would be; you could play games with CFD algorithms, but you'd need detailed pressure-rise curves for the powders you expected to use, not to mention the primers, bullets, leade, and temperature - and the starting temp of the primer and powder make a *big* difference in pressure.

Then, with all this in hand, what final characteristics would you be looking for? Kinda depends...

Such a miracle algorithm, you'd think FN and Winchester and Weatherby would be sending Suits with checkbooks to this guy's door.

I have no idea how the cartridge performs, but I don't think there was any "algorithm" involved.

Since a dimensioned .30 PPC design proved not viable, Jonson Labs authored a computer algorithm to optimize the round and in 1984, copyrighted the algorithm that produced The Jonson Factor and also the resulting case design. When the factor was applied to the Jonson .30 PPC-like design, the round proved to incorporate a perfected ballistic profile, designated parallactic precision. The main advantages to the design were improved accuracy through a more consistent powder burn and lower than expected realized recoil per caliber. An entire family of Jonson rounds has since been spawned based on the Jonson Factor.

Yeah I have to agree with you - a supposedly magic formula that feeds in "exhaustive ballistic data" and spits out a cartridge? Sounds like Superman 2 The cartridge looks like a .308 variant.

lol, I too coded. C, micro-assembly, BIOS programming, UNIX and UNIX internals, IBM mainframes (PL/1), SQL, plus various minor languages. I agree that some hype their abilities, but I have also seen some true genius at work in code and systems. I have more "fear and loathing" of end-users and upper management than of fellow coders - even those who are only paper tiger developers.

While I don't discount a claim that someone hyped the development of an iterative cartridge design method, I don't care if they did it via programming or via a rock and a sheet of brass - as long as it works for what I want to do.

I have a daughter. I tell her, "911 is what you dial after you're raped. 1911 is what you should have before they try."

Back in ancient times, with hand-carved wooden circuit boards and knapped flint read-write heads, you had to get down and dirty with the hardware and software to do anything useful. Then it becomes an obsession. After a while, it sucks up all the time you could be using for your AK projects. If you're very unlucky, you'll encounter "enablers" (employers) who will keep you on the computer hamster wheel.

Fifteen years from now all your computer stuff will be a sad joke. But your AKs will still work just fine.

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The Jonson may be a fine cartridge; it was just their hyper-BS marketing drivel that made me leery of it. That sort of thing turned me off on the Beowulf for a long time. I guess it annoyed me enough to have the chamber reamer made just out of spite, with their "we will sue anyone who infringes on our patent" routine. It's a 12.7 Schuler Short reamer, it just happens a Beowulf cartridge will also fit. Good thing, since I don't have any 12.7 Schuler brass... or Beowulf brass either. [sigh]

What was it about the Jonson that got your interest, other than the 2.81" overall length? It looked like just another "short magnum for .308 magazines" to me.